Reign of the Overlord
by EnergyBlastNinjaWriter
Summary: (ON HIATUS) After the events of Skybound, Ninjago is at peace and the ninja train for the next big threat. Except this new threat isn't so new at all. When he terrorises Ninjago City, transforming it into his own headquarters, he sets out to finish the job he started many centuries ago.
1. Chapter 1: A City In Ruin

_Whiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr_...

Ninjago City was under attack. Again.

Citizens screamed at the top of their lungs and ran for the nearset vehicle to escape in. Others just ran for their lives, panic evident in their voices. No one was sure what was attacking them. Just that they were scary.

They were some sort of monsters, with rocky black skin and purple glow surrounding their bodies. They had sharp black claws, with yet more dark purple glowing on the ends. Their faces were unrecognizable, and if they weren't where a human head would be, no one would know it was a head at all. Just one purple circle in their face, glowing brighter than the rest of their bodies.

A hot dog vendor slowly walked backwards as a creature approached him. Not knowing what to do, he held out a hot dog, hoping the creature would take it and go away. No such luck.

The creature slashed at him, throwing him far away. The man eventually slammed into a garbage can, breaking his spine.

The police force arrived, a dozen police cars filled with two officers each. The policemen held out their guns, firing at the monsters. The bullets simply bounced off the monsters, who didn't even seem to notice. One officer his behind his car, pulling out his walkie-talkie. "This is Officer Brandy, we are outmatched here! They are invincible to our bullets! We need to evacuate the city!"

"We'll send in the boats and our rescue team," the man on the end of the line said. "In the meantime, do what you can to hold them off!"

"No good, sir! We can't even scratch them! We need the ninja!"

In the Destiny's Bounty, the ninja were training. Lloyd and Cole were sparring, while the others watched.

Cole made a swing at Lloyd, who ducked out of the way, sending a punch back at the Earth Ninja. Cole smirked as Lloyd's fist simply went right through him. "Advantages of being a ghost, eh?" He asked.

Lloyd smiled back. "Yeah, but you lower your guard," the Green Ninja formed two energy spheres, launching them at Cole. They hit the ghost square in the chest, launching him backward a bit.

"H-how...?" Cole started, rubbing his head.

"When you get overconfident, you turn physical again," Lloyd said.

"Noted," Cole said, continuing his spar with the Green Ninja.

On the sidelines, Jay and Kai squabbled over who would win. "Cole is the strongest ninja," Kai said with a smirk. "And besides, he's had more training than Lloyd has."

Jay let out a chuckle. "Cole may be the strongest physically, be Lloyd is the strongest elementally. And Cole doesn't have much more training than Lloyd. What is it, like 3 months? And may I remind you, Lloyd defeated the Overlord. Ya know, the worst baddie Ninjago has ever seen?"

"Yeah, but that was with his Golden Power, which he can't access anymore. Trust me Jay, Cole has this in the bag."

Suddenly, Nya ran onto the deck. "Guys, Ninjago City is under attack!"

Lloyd and Cole paused their fight and the Green Ninja's smirk turned to a straight line. "Again? Wow, that place must be cursed or something."

"Attacked? By who?" Zane asked.

Nya shook her head. "Not who, but what. An army of some weird purple and black warriors is attacking the city, in the industrial district!"

"Industrial district? Isn't that where Claire lives?" Jay asked, looking at Lloyd.

Lloyd's eyes widened. "And hundreds of people like her under attack! Ninja, suit up!"

The ninja looked at him awkwardly.

"Oh, we-we're already suited up...Everyone summon your dragons!"

The six ninja all summoned their dragons, flying off towards Ninjago City. Sensei Wu walked onto the deck, sighing. "Be safe, Ninja."

As they approached the city, the ninja gasped in awe and horror at what they saw before them. "Ninjago City is...scrapped!" Jay exclaimed. "The whole city is in ruin."

"What do we do?" Kai asked.

"You see those boats?" Lloyd asked, pointing to the harbor. The ninja nodded, and he continued. "This boats are here to evacuate the city. Almost everyone is onboard, except the Industrial District. The attackers have boxed them in, so they can't get to the boats," he pointed towards the district. "Here's the plan. Kai, you go to the harbor and tell the boats to leave as soon as possible. We will handle the rest of the people. Nya and Jay, you guys protect the citizens and get them to safety. Me, Zane, and Cole will fight the attackers, got it?"

The ninja nodded, and flew off to the city.

Kai landed his dragon at the harbor, waving his arms to the passengers. "Everyone! You need to leave now! Get to the safe house at Stixx, the ninja have the rest of the people taken care of!"

The captain nodded, speaking to the other boats via microphone. Soon, the boats started running, beginning to leave the harbor.

In the Industrial District, the Ninja landed their dragons and faced the creatures.

"Ew, they look terrifying and ugly!" Jay exclaimed, shaking his head in disgust.

Lloyd squinted his eyes. "Jay, Nya, remember the plan! Find the people and get them to safety! Take them one at a time to Stixx on your dragons if you have to! We won't let these people be lost!"

The Lightning and Water Ninja nodded their heads, rushing to the buildings.

Lloyd, Cole, and Zane approached the monsters, elements ready. Lloyd fired the first blast, which hit one of the attackers square in the stomach. It was knocked back, falling over. It got back up a few seconds later, seemingly unscathed.

Zane gasped. "They seem to be indestructible to our elements!"

Lloyd shook his head. "No. Nothing is indestructible. ENERGY!" he fired another beam of pure green energy at the warriors blasting them to bits.

Cole gasped. "Lloyd, you blew them up!"

"I wasn't trying to! I-it was an accident!" The Green Ninja protested, shielding himself from the attackers' claws.

"Well, it doesn't seem they are very forgiving," Zane said, freezing a few warriors. "But, Lloyd, your element seems to be the only thing that can even penetrate them. You're our biggest weapon against them!"

"Then let them have it," Lloyd said through gritted teeth, forming another sphere.

Inside one of the buildings, Jay ran through the hallways, yelling for people to escape the building. Then he slapped his forehead in shame. "Wait, forget what I said! We need to get to high ground! Get to the top floor, and use the stairs!"

As the people ran for the top floor, Jay noticed a man in a wheelchair, struggling to get up the stairs. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, dude! Let me help you with that!" Jay grabbed the handles of the wheelchair, helping the man upstairs. Jay made a silent prayer that Nya was doing better than he was.

In another building, Nya had already gotten all the people to the roof, hoping the monsters would be held off by the other ninja and wouldn't get to the roof. The people were in panic, several in blankets and hugging friends and family members for comfort.

She saw a police helicopter in the sky, and it landed on the roof. Nya was shocked to find the pilot was none other than Dareth, the Brown Ninja.

He smirked. "What up Nya? I was polishing my trophies earlier and then BAM the city is under attack by these weird monsters! I found a deserted police chopper outside my dojo and, while its a bit damaged, it can still fly! Get as many as you can aboard!"

"Thanks, Dareth," Nya said as she helped a dozen people inside the chopper, leaving about 30 left on the roof.

Dareth closed the doors, locking the people inside. "I'll bring these people to Stixx as soon as possible, then come back for the rest. Stay safe!" With that, the chopper flew off, towards Stixx.

Back on the battlefield, Lloyd had destroyed several more monsters, and the ninja seemed to be winning. "Zane, can you scan these things?" The Green Ninja asked.

Zane nodded. "But I'll need you both to cover me!"

"Roger, roger," Cole said, shielding Zane.

The Nindroid used his scanners to do a full body scan on one of the creatures. "Oh my. They seem to be some sort of artificial monsters, powered by Dark Matter!"

"Dark Matter?" Lloyd asked, a hint of fear in his voice. "Isn't that the kind of stuff that the Overlord used to turn pretty much all of Ninjago evil? The stuff used to create the Garmatron?"

"Precisely," Zane said. "I sense that is what makes them so indestructible, and so it would make sense why your power can destroy them. They are essentially fueled by darkness, and your element is based on light."

"You are smart, Nindroid," a familiar yet croaky voice said. He made his presence known, rolling in on the Garmatron. "Lloyd Garmadon. We didn't finish our battle last time."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "No, it can't be!"

The Overlord himself let out a dark laugh. "Yes, it is me! The Overlord hath returned!"

Zane gasped. "But Lloyd destroyed your dragon form, and I destroyed your Golden Master form. How can you be back?"

Overlord sneered, "I am a being of many forms, Ice Ninja. But today I reveal my true form!"

He was pure black, with a dark cape and twin black samurai swords in his hands. His eyes glowed a bright red, and he wore a helmet very similar to the one he wore in his Golden Master form. He had large wings on his back, and a dark smile plastered on his face. "And now, I will get my revenge on everyone who tried to destroy me!"

He shot a dark purple beam at Zane, and the Nindroid let out a cry as he fell to the ground. A dark cloud surrounded him, possessing Zane's body.

"Zane, no!" Cole yelled, already seeing how this ends before.

The Nindroid stood before his comrades, but he looked different. His once kind blue eyes were now a sickening purple glow. His Airjitzu gi, that had once wore his Ice symbol, now bared the symbol of the Overlord. A dark purple glow surrounded him, and he made a smirk. "Hello, brothers." His voice was deep and sinister-sounding.

"Zane?" Lloyd asked worriedly. "What happened to you?"

"I saw the truth," Zane said. "I saw that in the end, all ninja must die! All must bow to the power of the Overlord!"

"Yes!" The Overlord roared. "Yes, my faithful servant! All ninja will be exterminated! Kill the ghost one!"

"Yes, master," Zane said, revealing a water sprayer on his arm.

"Zane, you don't wanna do this," Cole said, backing up slowly. "This isn't you!"

"Oh, but it is me," Zane said. "Just upgraded." He blasted a beam of water at the Earth Ninja, who was lucky enough to dodge it in time. "Stop moving so I can get rid of you!" Zane snarled.

"Hey, Lloyd, I got the people to-" Nya said as she approached, then paused. "Zane? What happened to you?" Her eyes widended even more as she saw the man in the Garmatron. "You dare show your face here again?" She yelled.

Overlord chuckled. "Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I see the little Samurai has joined the ranks of a ninja." The word rolled off his tongue. "How pathetic." He blasted another beam at the Water Ninja.

Jay managed to push Nya out of the way in time, and the blast hit a car.

"Jay!" Nya exclaimed in relief. "Perfect timing!"

"Heh, you know I hate being late for the party," Jay joked. "Overlord, release Zane of whatever foul possession you have put on him!"

"Oh, I couldn't even if I wanted to," Overlord snarled. "The darkness can only be cured by a being of pure light. Too bad little Lloyd Garmadon squandered his Golden Power..."

"I gave it away so you couldn't have it, Overlord!" Lloyd said.

"That was one of your many mistakes," Overlord said. He began making a massive sphere of darkness, then released it into the sky. Everything got darker and darker, until everything was black.

 **Wow. I had a lot of fun writing the Overlord for some reason XD. Honestly, I think I started this story well, and I can't wait to see how well it does. So now Zane is evil, Overlord is back, and Ninjago City is in ruin. And yeah, I know this is Rated T for mild violence and tragedy and, trust me, this wasn't all the tragedy. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below! In case you didn't already know, this story takes place between Skybound and Day of the Departed.**

 **See ya in the next chapter**

 **\- EB**


	2. Chapter 2: Target

_**Chapter 2: Target**_

Lloyd reluctantly opened his eyes, slowly taking in his surroundings. He was in a dark room, strapped to a metal table. The chains were obviously made of vengestone, so there was no point in trying to escape with his powers.

"Comfortable?" A dark voice said, his red eyes glowing in the room.

"Not with you," Lloyd said spitefully.

Overlord chuckled darkly. "I guess we never saw eye to eye."

"What do you want with me?" The Green Ninja asked. "If you wanted to destroy me, you could have done it by now."

"Of course. But, you see, I don't want to destroy you so quickly, it will take away all the fun. I want to see you slowly suffer. It will be much more worth it."

"You only want me, right? This is between you and me, my friends don't have to pay because of it! Let Zane go!"

"Like I said, I can't. He can only be cured by pure light. And I doubt a being of darkness like me could pull off such a task."

"My team...where are they?"

"Hmm. The blue ninja and the former Samurai are in my dungeon...the other two escaped and your mother and sensei have not yet been seen. But don't worry, I will soon find them and you will all be reunited one last time, I promise you that."

"And the people?"

"Hmm. Most of them escaped, but several have been rumored to be trapped inside some buildings in the Industrial District."

 _Claire_ , Lloyd thought. He tried to keep the fear from his eyes, but failed. Overlord noticed and laughed darkly. "Oh, so there is someone there that you care about? Someone you are acquainted with, possibly more than that?"

Lloyd stayed quiet, hiding his fear for Claire.

"I don't blame you, Lloyd. Everyone deserves a chance at love, I'm not that heartless. I once had a woman I admired."

"Wow, really? Never would have guessed that in millions of years."

"Stop laughing at me!" Overlord snarled. "Anyways, where was I?"

"I believe you were on the topic of being quiet," Lloyd joked.

"Your attempt at humor will not save your life, Green Ninja, and it sure won't save your friends' lives. Now, who is this person you admire? Who is this...girl? "

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because if you don't, I will kill every single one of those people in the Industrial District, including her."

Lloyd groaned. He didn't have a lot of options.

A Dark Matter soldier walked into the room, speaking some strange ancient language. The Overlord responded in the same language, and the soldier walked off.

"What did he say?" Lloyd asked, looking for an excuse to not make his decision.

"He said that they failed to find your father Garmadon as well."

Lloyd frowned. "You won't find him. Not ever again."

"He can't hide forever, Green Ninja," the Overlord snarled.

"No, I mean...he's dead," Lloyd choked on the last word, it had been awhile since he had talked to anyone about his father's death.

"Dead?" The Overlord asked curiously. "Old age, I assume? Perhaps was killed in battle?"

"No...he was banished to the Cursed Realm,"

"Ah I see. And I suppose the Preeminent was destroyed?"

"Yes. It was my father's choice."

Overlord laughed. "He always made bad decisions. Oh well, I guess it was his last. Anyways, I'll leave you to make your decision. I have work to do." With that, he strode out of the room, leaving the Green Ninja in the dark. Alone.

Onboard the Destiny's Bounty, Wu and Misako had Cole and Kai brief them on the mission.

"He used his powers to turn Zane evil, and he tried killing me. Then the Overlord made a huge sphere of darkness and kidnapped Lloyd, Jay, and Nya. He took Zane with him too. And on top of that, he's probably hunting us down now," Cole explained.

Kai sighed. "Its like the Overlord has been super charged or something. He's even more powerful than he was before."

"And he has turned Ninjago City into his base of operations," Wu said, stroking his beard. "No one gets in or out without him knowing about it."

"What I don't understand is how he has returned," Misako said. "Even if he were to take on another form, he would have to get to Ninjago from another realm."

"The Dark Realm," Wu said quickly. "That must be where he came from. I went there once to find Garmadon after Lloyd was kidnapped by Pythor so many years ago. It is a place flooded with Dark Matter, even more than there was on the Dark Island. That would explain the army of Dark Matter warriors."

"Well, we can't just sit here," Cole said, pounding his fist on the table. "He has the others, and as far as we know, he could be torturing them. He may have even turned them to his side like what he did to Zane."

"We must be patient, Cole," Wu said. "I'd assume the logical choice would be to split up and go into hiding. If he has turned the others to his side, then we are the only ones that stand in his way of ruling Ninjago."

"Split up?" Kai asked in outrage. "But together we're a better fighting force!"

Wu sighed. "But this way, if he gets one of us, he doesn't get all of us."

"Its for the best," Misako said. "Pack your bags, we will leave in the morning."

 **That's all for this chapter! Sorry it was shorter than the last one, but Chapter 3 will be more packed, I can assure you. Please leave your thoughts in the reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3: Company

Chapter 3: Choices

After saying their goodbyes, Kai, Cole, Misako, and Wu split up in different directions. Kai traveled to his home village, Cole set out for the Spinjago mountains, Misako fled to Domu Library, and Wu went to Stiix.

As Kai flew on his elemental dragon, he sighed as he worried about his teammates, especially his sister Nya, and how they fared in the clutches of the Overlord.

Cole was having similar thoughts. He wanted so badly to go back to Ninjago City and free his friends. He sat back on his dragon, staring into the sky that was filled with white clouds. "Stay safe guys," he whispered. "You'd better come home in one piece."

It was day 3 of Lloyd's imprisonment in the chamber. He had never seen the outside world in this time, and was only allowed to leave the room to go to the restroom, accumponied by 5 guards. The vengestone chains has started digging into his skin, which really hurt. Lloyd was currently on the table, gritting his teeth as he fiddled at the chains with his fingers.

One of the guards growled at him, its voice sharp and fearsome. Lloyd let go of the chains, and they fell to the ground with a big clang. He lay back on the table, worrying if his friends, mother, and uncle had been found yet. And what of Jay and Nya? They had been captured, probably locked up somewhere like he was.

Being chained up like this was pure torture. He needed to do something, anything. He also found himself quite hungry as the last he ate was a bowl of expired food the night before. Lloyd looked around the room, at the chains, and at the guards. He let out a growl of frustration, struggling against the chains.

The guards immediately held him down, then tightened the chains around his legs and arms. Lloyd breathed heavily, his pants echoing in the dark room.

Suddenly, the door opened and in walked the Overlord, his dark cape flowing behind him. He snarled, "Good morning, Green Ninja," his voice seemed unforgiving and filled with mailce. "Sleep well?"

"Not a chance," Lloyd muttered spitefully, trying to look at anything but the Overlord.

"I assumed you were hungry," the dark menace continued, gesturing to a bowl that he had handed to a guard. The guard handed the bowl to the Green Ninja as the Overlord continued. "And I have brought someone here to keep you company." He turned to the door, where two guards walked in, dragging a person across the floor and into the room. This person seemed to be female, and had long brown hair. Lloyd's eyes widened as he looked at her face and into her deep blue eyes.

Claire.

"L-Lloyd," she uttered weakly, raising a shaking hand towards him.

"What did you do to her?" Lloyd demanded loudly. "What did you do?"

The Overlord chuckled maliciously. "We found her sneaking around the city, looking for you. I assume this is your friend from the Industrial District?"

Lloyd looked down at the scared girl on the floor, not making a sound. It pained him to see his best friend so weak and hurt.

The Overlord continued, "We questioned her, and when she didn't give us the answers I wanted...well I guess you can see for yourself what happened." He chucked again, laughing at the pain of both the girl and the ninja.

Lloyd's heart sank. They had tortured her. Possibly for hours.

"She will stay here with you. Guards, chain her to the other table." Overlord commanded, the guards following his instructions. They chained Lyn to the table next to Lloyd, and the tow teens looked at eachother sadly.

Overlord laughed once more, then left the room.

Claire coughed sharply, for the room was filled with dust. Lloyd took a look at her. Her hair was a mess, and her skin was covered in cuts and bruises. She looked pale and tired, and her once happy and joyful eyes only showed sadness and pain.

Claire smiled weakly at him. "I'm sorry..."

"For what? This isn't your fault, Claire...its mine."

She looked at him worriedly as he continued.

"Its my fault you're stuck in here with me, that you were tortured," Pain coated his voice as he said that word. "I could have done better, I could have defeated him. I could have stopped this before it started. But I didn't. I failed myself, I failed Ninjago and..." He felt tears threaten to fall. "And I failed you."

She looked at him sadly, sliding her hand into his. "No. You didn't fail me. You tried your best, I know you did. You always do. And you always win some way or another. Its like you said to your team once, 'We didn't lose the battle. Today, we just lost the fight.' You still have a chance, this battle isn't over."

"This isn't a battle anymore, Claire," Lloyd said, staring at the ground. "He just made this a war. And if I lose, everything is lost. He'll rule Ninjago and everyone will bow to him or die. And what do I have? My team is torn apart, some captured and some in hiding. I have no weapons, no vehicles, and no plan. I have nothing."

"At least we have each other," Claire said kindly, brushing his hand with hers. Usually she would be embarrassed by this, but Lloyd needed her just as much as she needed him.

Lloyd smiled at her statement. "You know what, you're right. We have each other. But Claire, I'm not dragging you into this war. You've been harmed enough. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt or died in my care."

She sighed. "I'm not asking you to drag me in. I'm going to help you no matter what, Lloyd. No matter what." Her attention turned to the guards. "Should we really be taking while these guys are watching us?"

Lloyd chuckled. "Nah, turns out they don't know Ninjagese. They only know their own language."

"Which is?"

"From what I can tell, just a bunch of snarls and growls."

Claire laughed a bit, sighing at the end. "But how are we going to get out of here? We're trapped in chains. Wait, you can use your powers right?"

Lloyd shook his head sadly. "No. They're made of Vengestone. A material so strong that it weakens my powers to the point that I can't use them. We'll have to escape some other way." He noticed the grin on Claire's face. "You have an idea," he said with a smile.

She smiled back. "Yep. Now tell me, do you have a good aim?"

In another dungeon, Jay and Nya were chained to a wall in a cell, unable to stand up. They had been trapped for days, only having a bit of water and food once a day from the guards.

Nya sighed, looking down at her feet. "I'm getting really tired of this. That monster took over Ninjago, turned Zane evil, and threw us in a cell. And we haven't seen Lloyd in days."

"He's probably being held in another cell," Jay groaned. "Overlord probably has debts to settle with the guy."

"But that means he could be torturing him," Nya added. "We can't just sit here while his life could be in danger. And what about Kai, Cole, Sensei, and Misako? Do you think they were captured as well?"

"I hope not. They may be the only ones who can save Ninjago now."

"Let's hope they have a plan to break us out of here too."

 **And DONE! Three chapters done in one day, I'm worn out. I probably won't update THIS often, probably once or twice a week tho. Especially during school seasons, I'll probably only be able to get out a chapter a week. And yes, I added some Lloyd X Claire fluff just cuz I love the ship so much and I have a lot that was originally planned for this chapter, but I had to put in the next chapter, so I added the moment to fill the chapter a bit more.**

 **Thanks to Rainbowaly03 for being my very first reviewer! :D**

 **Thanks for your kind words, and yes I've loved Lloyd X Claire for a little while now, and was glad to spread the ship across this website.**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **-EB**


	4. Chapter 4: The Way Out

Chapter 4: The Way Out

Cole felt a tint of guilt for leaving his team behind as he flew over the blue ocean on his elemental dragon, the night sky glowing against his coal black hair. But as Wu said, they had no other choice. He had decided to go to his father's village, rather than Spinjago, and hide there. Surely, the Overlord wouldn't know they were related, and wouldn't search there. That is, if it wasn't already in ruin.

The Ninja of Earth stroked his fingers through his hair, letting his thoughts invade his head. After he went into hiding, what would he do? Make a plan? Start a resistance? Although he doubted he could find enough men brave enough to join...

Cole was startled by a sudden roar from his dragon, and he sat up on the back of it. Cole rested a hand above his eyes, squinting into the distance. As the fog subsided, he could see a vessel in the water, a ship. Cole's eyes widened as a harpoon came shooting towards him from the ship, narrowly missing his head.

He tugged sharply on the reigns, flying away from the ship at high speed. Several more harpoons were fired, and Cole barely dodged them.

"Come on, boy," he told his dragon. "Come on!" He tugged on the reigns, riding his dragon higher into the sky.

Then, almost in slow motion, a harpoon flew right past Cole's head, wrapping the chain attached to it around the dragon's neck. "No! No!" Cole cried out as he felt his dragon fade away, and the Earth Ninja began falling quickly.

In a large collision, Cole slammed into the water, back first, and plunged into the water like a missile. He felt a pair of strong arms pull him out of the water, and bring him aboard the ship.

He fell on his knees, his hands held by two men. He dare not open his eyes, he was already too shocked to react.

"Who do we have here, matey?" A familiar voice said, clanging his pegleg against the wooden deck. Cole felt his hood removed, and he lifted his head towards the voice.

"It sure has been a mighty long time, pajama man."

Kai was in a problem of his own, but this was much different. He had gone to hide in a remote village, but none of the villagers would let him stay in their home, fearing that having a ninja with them would cause the Overlord to target them.

And so Kai was forced to spend the night in a small cave, hidden in a small forest. He caused a flame to form in his right hand, and it instantly lit up the cave. He sighed, resting his back on a rock, watching his shadow against the flickering light.

Then it hit him, and his mouth opened in a smile. Shadow. That gave him an idea. He quickly went to sleep, eager to get to work in the morning.

Nya was thirsty. Neither her nor Jay had gotten a meal or anything to drink in days, and were quickly beginning to starve. The water ninja lay dehydrated on the cold floor, with Jay laid beside her, equally as starved. Their chain cuffs had made marks on their legs and wrists, and painfully grabbed at their skin.

Eventually, the cell door opened, and in walked the Overlord himself. "Good morning, my friends," he said cooly. "Enjoying your surroundings?"

"As if," Jay groaned. "And we aren't your friends."

"Oh, maybe not now. But soon. Very soon..." Overlord trailed off, setting a tray of food at the ninja's feet. "I would not want my guests to go hungry, but I have work to do..." He left the room, sealing the cell door behind him.

Ninjago City had changed. The once bright and bustling city was no dark and the only inhabitants were the Overlord, his army, and his few prisoners.

The entire building structure of the city had been changed to a dark grey or black, most likely caused by the dark matter, which lied around everywhere.

In the darkest depths of the Overlord's fortress tower, Lloyd and Claire were assembling a plan to escape and fight back.

"Do you have a good aim?" Claire asked with a smirk.

Lloyd smirked back, attempting to figure out what that could be useful for in this situation. "Yes, why?"

"Because you're gonna need it," she replied, sliding something quickly into his hand. "Take it, and cut your way out while I distract the guards."

Lloyd looked down at the object in his hands, a jackknife. "And just how are you going to do that?" He asked, turning the knife around.

"Just trust me."

The guards may have not been able to understand the teens, but they knew they were having a conversation. One guard stepped up to them, slapping Lloyd across the face with his rocky, hard hand. He made his point clear that there was to be no talking at all.

Claire decided to make her move. She started screaming, jostling against the chains, gaining the attention of the guards, who attempted to hold her in place.

Lloyd was confused to say the least, but at least they were distracted. He quickly began cutting his way out, and was able to free his right hand. He easily whipped up an energy sphere in the palm of his hand, feeling the energy surge through his being. He fired it at the first guard, instantly reducing it to shambles. Before the other guard could react, Lloyd fired another sphere at it, obliterating it.

"See? Told you it would work," Claire spoke smugly.

"Don't get cocky, or I might just leave you here," Lloyd joked, freeing his other hand. He then freed his legs, and stretched, glad to no longer be attached to that table. He cut Claire out as well, and the two teens lifted their hoods over their heads.

Lloyd nodded to her, and she nodded back, and they ran down the hall, looking for a way out.

 _ **Aaaand that's a wrap. Chapter 4 is DONE. First of all, thx so much to everyone who reviewed!**_

 ** _Rainbowaly03: Thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!_**

 ** _EntityEndDragon: Hmm, its only gonna get more troublesome from here...thanks for reading!_**

 ** _Zanemyfavorite03: thanks, and its super COOL that Zane's your favorite! See what I did there? Oh, never mind, that was horrible. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed that little twist!_**

 ** _Until the next chapter,_**

 ** _EB_**


	5. Chapter 5: Robot Soul

Chapter 5: Robot Soul

General Crypterius, leading general of the Army of the Overlord, and former Ice Ninja Zane, scanned the area with his glowing red eyes. The cold of the night climbed to his artificial skin, the sleek titanium shining in the moonlight. In most cases, Zane would seem to be in a heroic pose at this moment. But this wasn't Zane.

Crypterius, named after the late General Cryptor, was a naturally "born" leader. He commanded legions of Dark Matter Monsters with ease with his calculating mind, filled with millions of battle tactics and war strategies. He was a new droid, fresh off the factory line, in the shell of a warrior that had been on the opposite side.

In a sense, the parts of him that made him Zane, were gone. Zane would forever stay offline and alone, as Crypterius used the White Ninja's metal body to his own uses.

Little did he know, that Zane wasn't truly offline.

Trapped in his own mind, Zane wandered through an endless void, separated from the real world and from his friends. Pixal was offline, and as far as he knew, her hardrive might not even still be linked in.

All Zane could do was worry. Worry about how Ninjago was falling, and he couldn't do anything about it. He could see everything through Crypterius' eyes, see the destruction and pain the evil warlord caused throughout Ninjago, in the shell of one of Ninjago's protectors. It was heartbreaking.

Zane fell to his knees, tears filling his eyes. A rare moment, and one highly questioned by Ninjago's greatest minds, was that when Zane truly felt human emotion. Who knew something so real could feel so horrible?

 **RoToRoToRoToRoTo**

Far across Ninjago's ocean, Cole was in the care of one of Ninjago's fiercest pirate crews, led by the infamous Captain Soto. He and the ninja had crossed paths several times in the past, not always on good terms. But seeing as Cole could very well be one of the last surviving elemental masters, he agreed to let the Earth Ninja stay onboard until he had a better plan.

"Thanks again, Soto," Cole said, grabbing a piece of paper that one of the pirates held out to him. "What's this?" Cole enquired, while unrolling the scroll.

Soto grinned, stroking his soot-black mustache with his hook, and letting No-Eyed-Pete's parrot perch on his right arm. "Its a map of every island and rock all around Ninjago, leading for miles and miles. Me and me harty crew have been exploring these oceans for many years, since that land-lubber Garmadon brought us back to life all those years ago."

Cole examined the map quickly, a smile forming on his features. "Wow, thanks. I bet this can come in handy one way or another." The Earth Ninja folded the map back up, slipping it inside his leather bag around his shoulder.

"Oh and one more thing, pajama man," Soto began.

"Yeah?"

"We don't have any more room for ye to sleep here on me ship." Soto smirked. "Just because we be on the same side, doesn't mean for a licking second that we'll treat ye with hospitality of any sort."

"Understood," Cole said with a sigh. "But how will I sleep?"

"Ye can sleep...er...on the deck of the ship."

Cole just sighed once more, preparing for the long journey ahead to Tiger Widow Island. Soto said that he had an old friend there, one who could hopefully help him.

 **RoToRoToRoToRoToRoTo**

Lloyd and Claire were doing good so far, sneaking down the halls and hiding behind computer panels and machinery whenever a Dark Matter Monster walked by.

 _What could the Overlord need with all these computers?_ Claire wondered. She shrugged it off and continued following Lloyd.

As they reached the end of yet another hall, Lloyd froze and his behind a wall, signaling for Claire to do the same.

"What have you brought me, my warriors?" A all too familiar and raspy voice asked from behind the wall.

Lloyd's eyes narrowed. There was no way they could sneak past the Overlord...

The Dark Matter Monsters replied in a strange language, and the Overlord snarled in anticipation.

"More Dark Matter!" The Overlord shouted. "Yes, good! Keep bringing more of this to me, I don't care if you have to ransak every mine in Ninjago, just get me more!"

The monsters snarled and the sound of footsteps confirmed that they were walking away.

"Okay," Lloyd whispered. "This is gonna be hard..."

Suddenly, the alarm began ringing.

"I didn't do anything, I promise!" Claire whispered back.

"It wasn't you...they must have found out we escaped. We need to leave. Now." Lloyd took a step, taking advantage of the Overlord's distraction. Claire followed closely behind, as the two snuck past the Overlord. As they reached the end of the hall, they could see the exit.

"That's our way out!" Lloyd whispered, grabbing her hand.

"But its closing!" Claire whispered back, as the large barricades began rising.

"Trust me," Lloyd replied simply, beginning to form an Airjitzu tornado around the two of them, and they began rising above the ground, towards the exit.

The Overlord flinched, recognizing the light snap of the Airjitzu activating. He whipped around, turning to the Green Ninja and girl escaping through the exit, right before the doors closed. "AHHHHHHH NINJAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He snarled, full of rage.

"My Master," a dark and mechanical voice echoed across the room, followed by a dozen Dark Matter Monsters. "Allow me to take care of Lloyd Garmadon and his accomplice. It will be all to easy."

Overlord groaned. "Fine. Go now and get them. I want the Green Ninja AND that girl back here alive!"

"Yes, sir."

 **RoToRoToRoToRoTo**

Kai groaned as he rubbed his aching back. The walls of the cave hadn't served as a very good bed that night, and Kai was glad to have a good excuse to get out of there. The world was under the rule of an evil warlord. Sounds like as good an excuse as any.

Kai didn't even think to perfect his hair as he usually did, nor did he post a selfie on Ninjagram. The Overlord had turned that into Overgram. The monster.

As the cool morning air whispered in hisn ears, he unleashed his fire powers in his hands, and unleashed his elemental dragon. Rising into the air, his dragon let out a roar and flapped its mighty wings and took off.

Kai had a plan. But first, he would need some help.

 **RoToRoToRoToRoToRoToRoTo**

Jay and Nya were hard at work in the Overlord's largest dark matter mine, carving the stuff out of the cave walls and dumping it into a minecart that would be sent out the exit and then to the Overlord.

"I don't know, Nya..." Jay started. "I have a bad feeing we're gonna be spending the rest of our days carving out purple rocks in a dusty mine."

"Don't say that, Jay..." Nya assured him. "I'm sure the others will come back for us someday. Until then, we need to stay strong. You hear me?" She rested her hands on his cheeks, pressing her forehead to his. The two ninja, one clad in blue and the other in maroon and azure, looked into eachother's eyes, wishing all was alright in the world.

But it wasn't.

 **Boom! New chapter has been dropped! And yes, I am SO SORRY that its been over a month since I updated this story. I have been very busy lately with summer camp, and preparing for school, which just started this week. So here's the thing.**

 **My new schedule will be like this:**

 **I will TRY to post a new chapter every other week, maybe one every week if I have the time. I already have a ton of homework, so I wouldn't expect a chapter a week to happen very often. So yeah, just expect a chapter every other week.**

 **If its been overdue and I still haven't updated, its because I'm busy with school and life. I hope you guys understand.**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **-EnergyBlast**


	6. Chapter 6: Operation Hailfire

_**Chapter 6: Project Hailfire**_

Kai gave a signature smirk as his elemental dragon approached Chen's Island. The cool wind blew lightly through his still uncombed hair as he did a flip off of his dragon, and the elemental creature disappeared into a bunch of floating embers. His feet made contact with the island ground, and Kai breathed in the fresh air.

Skylor had done a good job with the place.

After the ninja's encounter with the Hands of Time, Skylor had decided to bring the elemental masters together for the first time since Chen's attempt to bring back the Anacondai Wars. She had turned her deceased father's cult island into a place of peace and training. All of the elemental masters lived and trained on the island, which was now renamed Brotherhood Island. The name idea had come from Griffin Turner, who saw his fellow elemental masters as his brothers and sisters.

As Kai walked onto the palace grounds, Kai felt something tug on his left leg, and a small sound echoed from around him. An alarm went off, and Kai watched as a streak of white and red ran towards him at unspeakable speeds, and caught the Red Ninja in a headlock.

"H-hey!" Kai protested, fighting back. "Watch where you're pointing that elbow!"

"Why should I give you mercy, trespasser?" Turner demanded, tightening his grip on Kai.

"Dude, I'm on your side!" Kai argued, fighting against Turner's surprisingly strong hold.

"That's what anyone would say!" Turner shot back, his lips moving fast, as did the rest of his body. "Time for a super speed noogie!"

Kai's eyes widened and he could almost swear he heard Turner's fist clench. "N-no!"

"Enough!" A familiar feminin voice shouted from behind the two elemental masters. The woman walked over to them, a certain strut in her walk. Her bold and wavy read hair brushed gently from side to side, and her lips formed into a small smile. "Good to see you again," her voice slightly sharp yet kind.

Kai managed to turn his eyes toward the woman, and his mouth dropped a little. "Skylor?"

The orange and maroon clad girl giggled a bit, carefully removing Turner's arms from Kai. As soon as Turner back away a bit, Skylor took in the sight of the red ninja on the ground in front of her.

"My word, Kai, you've changed a bit, haven't you?" All the while she continued giving off that sweet smile.

"Oh-oh yeah!" Kai mumbled, spiking his hair a bit and attempting to make himself half presentable. "S-so have you!"

Skylor rested a hand on her hip and sighed. "Come on, _hot tamale_ , we'd better get inside before those creeps spot us." She turned and walked into the palace, and Kai followed close behind.

"When we first received word that the Overlord had returned, we knew it was time that the elemental masters finally joined together once more for the greater good," Skylor spoke calmly as she led Kai through the palace.

"We were forced to seek refuge here after our first assault on the Overlord's warriors...failed." Skylor looked down sadly. "We lost Camille."

"W-wait, she died?" Kai, ignoring his manners, burst out, his eyes wide in shock.

"No, but she could be for as much as we know." Skylor's voice cracked a bit at that last statement. "She was dragged off by those monsters, leaving her crying in terror...First Spinjitzu Master, help that girl..."

"Oh..." Kai muttered, looking down at the floor as well.

"So, we've been forced to sit here and do _nothing_ because we can't do _anything_!" Skylor almost yelled, as the two elemental masters approached the throne room. "We're sitting ducks. Its only meer luck that the Overlord hasn't already found us here."

As they entered the room, Kai noticed that the other elemental masters, save for Camille of course, were gathered together.

Karlof almost yelled in joy as his eyes met those of Kai. "Ah! Spiky hair guy! Karlof is filled with joy to be seeing you!" Karlof grabbed Kai in a big hug, squeezing him.

"O-ok, Karlof! Its good to see you too!" Kai practically squeeked. "Please let go of me!"

"Oh, right, Karlof is sorry." The big brute let go of the Fire Ninja, but the huge grin never left his face.

"Kai, you're alive!" Bolobo said cheerfully, patting him on the back.

"I already told you that, Bolobo," Neuro said almost emotionlessly. "I sensed his presence here a second before he landed."

"Seeing is better than believing, Karlof thinks," Karlof croaked, pointing an armored glove at the Master of the Mind.

"Wait, are the other ninja alive too?" Ash asked, suddenly appearing in the form of a smoke cloud next to Kai.

"I...don't know..." Kai confessed. "Zane was turned evil by the Overlord's power, and he kidnapped Lloyd, Jay, and Nya. For as much as I know, they could be dead or almost dead by now. And by Sensei's orders, Cole, Sensei, Misako, and I split up to go into hiding until..."

"Until what?" Jacob Pevsner asked, cupping a hand around his ear, accidentally knocking off his glasses in the process.

"I don't know..."

"So you have the exact same agenda as us, huh?" Shade grumbled. "Sitting and doing nothing?"

"No, I have a plan to take the fight to the Overlord. I'm just going to need you guys' help," Kai explained.

"I thought you said your Sensei ordered you to stay in hiding?" Skylor intervened.

"Yes, but if there's anything I've learned from my experience training under Sensei or even Lloyd, its that following direct orders isn't always the best way to solve a problem." Kai added, smirking.

 **A/N: Whoever gets that reference can have a free box of cookies for all I care XD**

"Well, what did you have in mind, Redskin?" Turner asked quickly.

"Guys, let me introduce, Project Halfire!"

 _ **ROTOROTOROTOROTOROTOROTOROTO**_

The journey to Tiger Widow Island had been, in its own way, quite disturbing and enticive. Spending three days onboard a pirate ship with a crew of Ninjago's most fearsome pirates, ON THE WATER none the less, wasn't exactly Cole's typical walk in the park.

But alas, they had finally arrived, and Cole was glad to finally rest his feet on dry land.

"Well, pajama man," Soto began. "We have arrived on the island. Now we must travel only a few miles to the small hut where my old land lubber chum Jaryd lives!" He began walking across the sand and towards the dense jungle of the island. "Let's go, ye salty dogs!" He called to his crew, who followed closely behind. "And you too, pajama man."

Cole let out a huff as he looked out into the distance. This would take some time. He trugded along behind the pirates, hoping with all his heart that this wasn't a trap.

 _ **ROTOROTOROTOROTOROTO**_

 _Lloyd Garmadon is fearless._

 _Lloyd Garmadon is fearless._

 _Lloyd Garmadon is fearless._

 _The_ _ **Green Ninja**_ _is fearless._

Lloyd repeated the words over and over in his mind as he flew his dragon across the sky. Normally he wouldn't be as tense doing this, as he was practically a master at dragon riding at this point. But this wasn't normal. Everything that _had_ transpired, everything that _was_ transpiring, and everything that _would_ transpire had shaken him to the core, and it wasn't helping anything.

Successfully forming and controlling an elemental dragon required full control of your fear and anxiety.

That was a little hard for Lloyd Garmadon at the moment.

And so he continued shouting the words at himself mentally, over and over again.

 _Lloyd Garmadon is fearless._

But, he had to admit, that deep down, he wasn't. He never truly was.

His mind had wandered so far, that he had completely forgotten about the girl seated on the back of the dragon behind him.

"Lloyd?" She spoke simply, her words surprisingly calm.

Suddenly spooked, Lloyd's eyes grew the size of Zane's chocolate chip cookies, and Claire could have sworn he jumped at least 5 feet in the air before the dragon they were just riding on dissipated into small green particles, and then nothing was left.

Claire gasped as she began falling from the sky, torpedoing towards the mountainous plains below. " _Lloyd_!" She cried as she attempted to form her own dragon, or use airjitzu, or _something_. But she wasn't like Lloyd. She couldn't do all that.

Lloyd had finally regained vision when he spotted the ginger falling from the sky several yards below him, and he almost screamed.

 _Claire_.

Lloyd shut his eyes and tried his hardest to form his elemental shield, the oldest trick in the book. But if it was, then why was it suddenly so difficult?

Claire felt her arms flailing through the air, and her breathing became slow and rough. She felt her amount of oxygen drop, and her eyes slowly closed, and she lost consciousness. Her unconscious body fell through the air, and Lloyd right behind it.

Lloyd managed to focus enough to form the familiar glowing green shield around himself, and it gave him the speed and strength to catch up with Claire. He awkwardly scooped her into his arms, pulling her small frame into the shield with him. He then shifted his weight around in a way of steering the shield, and managed to land on a small cliff overlooking a desert.

The shield disappeared from around the the two teens, and Lloyd carefully laid Claire on the ground. He felt his strength weaken, and his energy collapse, and in a matter of seconds, he too fell unconscious.

 **Aaaaand done! Another chapter done! So sorry that its been a few weeks since the last update on this story. I guess I got a little carried away with oneshots and completely forgot about what my update schedule SHOULD be for this story. My apologies.**

 **And I also completely forgot that I have not yet been responding to reviews since like two chapters ago, and I feel terrible about that! So let's go ahead with that.**

 _MasterofCupcakes_ **: Thanks for your kind words, and let me assure you, the voyage was only the beginning of Cole's journey. The worst is yet to come.**

 _EntityEndDragon_ **: Haha, seeing as its Kai's plan, it most likely will. Just wait and see till the next chapter. And I actually have never read Throne of Glass, but my friend Mystic says its good. Thanks for reading!**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **~EnergyBlast**


	7. AN Sorry (Hiatus)

**I have some sad news.**

 **Reign of the Overlord is from now on, on a hiatus.**

 **I really didn't want it to come to this, but I really don't have much of a drive to write this story anymore. That's not to say I won't continue this in the future, but if I do, It'll be slow updates.**

 **Its already been awhile since the last update on this fic, and for a reason. The truth is, I kinda think I can do better on this story. I actually wrote the first three chapters back in February, before I even had an account on here. (Yes, I actually have been writing Fanfiction for years, just never uploaded any.) My writing has drastically improved since then, and I feel like I can't really build on an old story with my new style all that well.**

 **Again, I MIGHT continue this someday, maybe in 2018 when the Season 8 bandwagon begins, but I want to currently focus on Blessings Come in Many Forms and my oneshots.**

 **I hope you guys can understand.**

 **Until the next chapter, whenever that may be,**

 **EB**


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